Why
TESL? Looking back at the question I asked myself before I decided that I
wanted to take on that road, I was reminded of many things:

1)I see the old me in a lot of people struggling
to learn the English Language.

2)I want to show that learning language is a fun
experience.

3)I would like to introduce a new way to learn the
language, since nowadays the English Language and the Islam subject is like a
second subject – something most people take granted for.

4)I want to show that passing the subject is NOT
EVERYTHING, but understanding it is everything.

Everyday I would meet people who come up to me and ask, “How
do you master the English language?” Something that I always recommend is: practicing.
Reason why a lot of people struggle with any kind of subject or language is
that they don’t use it in everyday life. It is only for the sake of exams. It
is not a very good habit, since knowledge learnt but not used is a HUGE waste.

I won’t say that I had it very easy – because my road to
English was not on a highway. It was a long 5 years of summer class, learning
back to kindergarten books, to simple novels and learning the old English. I am
still reading Sherlock Holmes book (for a year now, maybe more) and it is by no
way modified. Hardcore old language.

That’s why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place.
Maybe a lecturer, but I just wanted to teach. I wanted to show a different side
of English, and I want the upcoming generation to appreciate language as much
as the older generations did. (Since in today’s age, we look up more to Science
and Technology). Since I’m by no means a student of a language course (and no
subject I take since this semester and next involve language), I sometimes
wonder if I can still take on that road. If according to Amin Idris, if your
dreams aren’t CRAZY enough, it isn’t BIG enough. I want to give something to
society(and the country), before I cease to exist. For myself, I still love
English, prefer English books, most of the time I think in English (that’s why
when I try to speak in Malay, the words just don’t come), and I listen in
English mostly every day. Even lectures on the religion.

People might say, “You need to appreciate your mother
tongue!” or “Japan stressed on their language and look where they are now!” Sometimes I would get the, “You need to read
more in Malay,” such and such. And people have the right to say what they want,
but I won’t change myself for other people, or what they say. Even if you
master your mother tongue, but if you can’t understand what outsiders say, you
put yourself at a disadvantage. I know it is a sensitive matter, so I won’t go
on about it.

Lastly, respect those who with knowledge, especially those
who have given all their life for the knowledge they seek and have. We are in
by no means at the level of talking bad about them. Br. Omar Suleiman would
say, “At least respect them on the basis of seniority” and I agree with him.
Sometimes we love to talk bad about people, about the things they do or did,
about what they say, such and such. But we don’t appreciate the fact that those
with knowledge are different from those without knowledge. So don’t put
yourself in the latter category. Smile.